2015 Honda Pilot problems & reliability
108 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2015 Honda Pilot, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (13 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2015 Honda Pilot vehicles were involved in 31 fatal crashes with 13 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 22 | 20% |
| Unknown OR Other | 19 | 18% |
| Electrical System → | 13 | 12% |
| Service Brakes → | 12 | 11% |
| Air Bags → | 11 | 10% |
| Power Train → | 11 | 10% |
| Structure | 9 | 8% |
| Suspension | 7 | 6% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 6% |
| Visibility/wiper | 6 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 46,500 miles (middle 50% between 24,250 and 79,500 miles), based on 62 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On July 3, 2026 the check engine light, check VSA warning and check emissions warning indicators all illuminated simultaneously and the vehicle began to misfire and sputter which triggered an immediate slow down of traffic behind me. My local Honda dealership acknowledged a known defect with 2013 - 2015 Pilots in…”
Engine · filed Jul 29, 2026
“The contact owns a 2015 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that upon pulling into the gas station and parking the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound, and the contact also noticed a grinding sound coming from the underbody of the vehicle. The contact stated that the grinding sound persisted and became…”
Suspension · filed Jun 10, 2026
“1. The engine assembly failed — Piston 1 suffered catastrophic failure due to VCM-related piston ring wear and oil sludge buildup, generating DTCs P0301–P0304 (engine misfire, cylinders 1–4). Vehicle is completely non-operational. Failed engine is available for inspection in Mableton, GA 30126. 2. Progressive engine…”
Power Train · filed May 11, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Engine failure
Recall Query RQ24013 · opened Nov 8, 2024 · closed Aug 20, 2025
Technical service bulletins
85 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2015 Honda Pilot. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - The piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. Oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. This can set DTCs P0301 No. 1…
A26-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2026
Service Bulletin - The piston ring function deteriorates due to ring wear and sticking from sludge. Oil from the crankcase adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. This can set DTCs P0301 No. 1…
A25-060 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 29, 2025
Owner Notification Letter - the piston ring function can deteriorate due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. Oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. This can set DTCs P0301…
ONL6Z6072025 · Other · issued Jul 29, 2025
Service Bulletin - The piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. Oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire. This can set DTCs P0301 No. 1…
A25-060 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 18, 2025
Dealer Message - Piston ring effectiveness may be reduced due to excessive wear and oil sludge build-up, which can cause oil to adhere to the spark plug, potentially leading to carbon fouling and misfire triggering DTCs…
AEBM06172025901 · Other · issued Jun 17, 2025
Service Bulletin - The piston ring function deteriorates due to ring low wear toughness and sticking from sludge. Oil adheres to the spark plug leading to carbon fouling and misfire.
A25-060 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2014-2017 Odysseys and 2014-2015 Pilots with a customer complaint of the vehicle Check Engine Light (CEL) on with one or more of the DTC(s)…
ATI&04082024901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 8, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2014-2017 Odysseys and 2014-2015 Pilots with a customer complaint of the vehicle Check Engine Light (CEL) on with one or more of the DTC(s)…
ATI&03212024905 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 21, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2014-2017 Odysseys and 2014-2015 Pilots with a customer complaint of the vehicle Check Engine Light (CEL) on with one or more of the DTC(s)…
ATI&03192024902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 19, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2014-2017 Odysseys and 2014-2015 Pilots with a customer complaint of the vehicle Check Engine Light (CEL) on with one or more of the DTC(s)…
ATI&02282024908 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 28, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2015 Honda Pilot has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2015 Honda Pilot?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 46,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.